TABUK CITY, Kalinga (PIA) — Coffee lovers will soon have a new hang-out at the Kalinga Pasalubong Center as the Chamber of Tabuk City-Kalinga Producers, Inc. (CTC-CKAPI) plans to open a coffee shop at the facility.
CTC-CKAPI vice president Eduard Andaya shared during the Provincial MSME Development Council meeting that this initiative is seen to further promote Kalinga coffee and increase visits to the shop located near the welcome arc at Talaca, Barangay Malalao, Tabuk City.
Kalinga is known for its coffee which is said to be one of the top in the country. The establishment of a coffee shop is supported by the Department of Trade of Industry (DTI)-Kalinga, which will be providing equipment through its Shared Service Facilities (SSF) project.
“We approached our partners and advisers at the DTI and we thank them for approving our request sa SSF,” Andaya said.
The coffee shop will open on the roof deck of the Kalinga Pasalubong Center, taking advantage of panoramic views of grasslands and rolling hills.
Pasalubong Center serves as a venue for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to promote and sell their products primarily to tourists and motorists entering Kalinga.
Operated by the CTC-CKAPI, a group of local MSMEs, and supervised by the DTI- Kalinga, the shop is visited by tourists from nearby Isabela.
“Iti mostly nga bisita tayo idiay Kalinga Pasalubong Center dagidiay bikers from Isabela ken motorists,” CTC-CKAPI president Regina Madio said.
Madio said the shop currently displays the products of 31 CTC-KAPI members and 10 non-members.
Opened to the public last May, the Kalinga Pasalubong Center generated a total of P898,275 sales in its two months of operations, based on the records of the DTI-Kalinga. (JDP/IOS-PIA Kalinga)